Behind The Veil Of Battalion
by Silv3r Ang3l
Summary: What was happening to the Barthez Battalion team during the championship? How were they feeling? How did they react? What about their childhood? What about Barthez's past?
1. What lies within

Basic Info: This is simply a story about how the Barthez Battalion team were feeling during the third shown world will be NO couples. I'll rate it T for the beginning but I'm planning on making this story a bit_ darker_.

Warnings: Nothing more than drama.

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing.

**oh and special thanks to MarianQ for BETA reading _:-)_**

The story starts with Miguel's thoughts and there is _no_ dialogue in this chapter :O

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"_How did we come to this? I thought that it would be simple, yet here I am, more confused than ever and my life has become so complicated."_Miguel thought for the millionth time that day._ "It all used to be about having fun while blading, but Barthez turned us into soldiers. He said that losing is only acceptable when it serves an option. I don't care about losing, I love blading and that's what this is all about. That's why I stay here... still." _It had been four hours now and he was still awake.

The mechanical lights of New York City could be seen shining from the balcony fading in the mirror of the hotel room. Hotels always held an air of loneliness to him. Awful, big, white rooms with nothing to offer. "I wish I could calm myself down" Miguel reflected as he stared at the ceiling. Wasn't he a determined person? Wasn't his goal in life to make people happy? Why did he have to cheat in order to win? This was not fair. But he had given his word to Barthez and Miguel would keep his word. He knew what Jean- Paul Barthez was doing to him and his teammates and he knew that he was supposed to put an end to this, but how?

Why did he have to be the one to come up with a solution? He was the leader of the team, but only because there had to be leader. He never thought of himself as a person who could lead others. Maybe he could, but maybe he would fail in the process. He had to find out. He had to figure things out. Miguel let out a big sigh and tried to go back to sleep.

In the bed next to him Claude was pretending he was sleeping but in fact he was thinking. Truth is, he was not peaceful but at least he was not as worried as before. He had been hoping for quite a while now that Miguel would do something or say something..._anything_ to Barthez so he would stop treating them like soldiers. They were just children. Miguel had to stand up to Barthez.

"_I have seen that fire in his eyes" _Claude thought, remembering how angry Miguel seemed. "_His wrath is growing by the day. He knows what we do is wrong. I hate cheating. I hate lying! I don't care about gaining money, power or fame. I just want my life to be normal. Miguel has to win this fight against Barthez. For us. For this team". _

Claude turned to the other side of the bed changing to his thoughts on what would happen tomorrow. "Just do what he wants me to do. I will listen and do as I have been told. And then I will perform. Like an actor. Because Barthez does not look at us like teenagers. Or bladers. Or people with emotions. "_I don't think he knows what that means" _Claude was trying to block out all of his negative thoughts but he did not truly succeed. He was lying there, thinking about what would happen tomorrow. In a few hours he would be on the beystadium under Barthez's commands, doing what he wanted him to do…and he knew that he would do everything Barthez would tell him to.

There was a third bed in the room. Aaron was the only one who was sleeping and that was because he had spent all of his day feeling anxious, full of an uncontrollable fear which he just could not put away. It was his nature to feel afraid in most situations because he lacked any self esteem. All these years he had been living quietly with his family outside Liverpool until Barthez appeared in his life. His passion and love lied in beyblade. It was the only thing he was good at. One thing he had been taught from life was to feel pride for whatever he was doing. But he was not feeling proud now.

Cheating... this is what he and his team did against the Majestics in the European championship. How could they? He refused to believe that they were merely Barthez soldiers. A dictator ordering them to obey. And he obeyed; he would always obey because he could not do otherwise. If he did not, he would not be a part of the team. A team which he loved. A team he felt blessed in. It was not like that at the beginning. A lot had changed. People had come and go. But it would always be them four. Maybe they did not blade in the same manner all other teams did but at least they were close. They shared a unique strong bond of friendship. He could depend on them to find a way.

Miguel would find a way. He was stronger than Aaron. All the team was counting up to him. And so did him. "_There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. There will always be a person who will stand up and help others to escape their misery. Life is all about finding your way, isn't it?_" Aaron thought and a small smile escaped his lips as he fell into a more peaceful sleep than before. He had time to feel free until the morning came.

The fourth bed was empty. Mathilda was not there, she was in the balcony gazing up the starlit sky. The only feeling in her heart was _fear. _She was afraid of Barthez and unsure of why she had chosen to come here. Of course, beyblading was her passion but was it worth it? She knew that Barthez Battalion was in the World Championship only because they cheated in their previous match against the Majestics and she knew that they would do it again. Barthez would make them do it.

Mathilda would not sleep. Not tonight. Lately, insomnia had become her best friend. She was afraid, worried and she knew that her life had took an awful turn. "_Is it worth it?" _She thought again before she turned her head back to the hotel room. Her teammates were sleeping inside and she was outside... "_What am I even doing here?"_ she thought silently "_There's nothing else I can do, I can only stand this"_ Mathilda took a deep breath and slowly she returned back to her bed.

Miguel heard footsteps in the room and he noticed that the bed in the other corner of the room was empty. He saw Mathilda approaching it slowly. "_Why is she up so late?" _he thought and he closed his eyes to make sure she would not notice him. But Mathilda was not paying any attention to him, besides she was sure they were all sleeping. She had already spent two hours in the balcony wondering what she could do by reflecting on her life. Miguel had not noticed her leaving before and he could not help but wonder what she was doing up so late and most importantly what she was feeling. Miguel opened his eyes and stared at the mirror in front of him. From the reflection he could perfectly watch Mathilda and there was no possibility she would see him watching. She sat on her bed and held her beyblade tightly within her fist. From her eyes, a small tear fell down...she quickly wiped it off and put her beyblade back in the drawer.

"_I should talk to her... or not. I don't really know which is better."_ Miguel thought and buried his face in his sheets shutting his blue eyes. Mathilda rested her body under the cold sheets of her bed. "_Can hope ever fade away?" _she thought and closed her eyes, forcing her mind to clear out all of her fear and worries. This night just seemed so long. Who could sleep when they had important decisions to make? He felt hope flying away from him and at that moment he tried hard to go back to sleep. By this time tomorrow, he would have made up his mind. He would confront Barthez or he would act like a coward and do absolutely nothing about it. Of course, he thought, strong people know what to do even in the worst situations but weak people need to duck and act like a chicken. No, he was not a coward but he was not much of a revolutionist either. He had not made his mind up yet. He couldn't, he wouldn't... not tonight.

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**That was it...what do you think?**

**Should I update it?**


	2. Feelings can deceive

**Disclaimer:** I don't own I do own the plot.

**Author's Note: **Special thanks to **MarianQ** for BETA reading _:-)_

"Thus nature has no love for solitude, and always leans, as it were, on some support; and the sweetest support is found in the most intimate friendship."  
_ - Cicero _

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The morning had come. Uninvited. Miguel rubbed his eyes a few times, only to find himself alone in the room.

"_Where are all the others?"_ he thought and forced his eyes open wide. He reached for the alarm clock next to his bed and he grabbed it. Nine AM.

"Wonderful, now I'm late for practice", he hissed under his breath. Quickly, he changed to his usual outfit, opened furiously the door and stormed out of the room. After five minutes, he had reached his team training room.

He was ready to open the door when a female voice spoke

"It is alright,Miguel. We thought you could need some more sleep. Barthez is talking to the journalists at the other side of the hotel." Miguel let out a sigh of relief after hearing this news and approached the girl in front of him.

"Thanks, Mathilda. That was very thoughtful of you. All of you, in fact." he said trying to catch his breath. The pink haired girl gave him a quick smile and looked him right into his eyes. Miguel remembered how scared Mathilda looked last night and now she was standing there smiling. Full of life.

"_Doesn't she...? How can she hide it so well and I can't?"_ Miguel's fear grew. They were expecting him to do something. Anything.

"_Duck and run"_ he thought _"that's what weak people do and... I'm not as strong as they think I am" _He gave her a quick smile, not wanting to let his own feelings show.

"We better go..." his voice trailed off when they heard loud footsteps approaching them.

"Where the hell are those children? Why can't they ever listen and do as what they are told?

Barthez hissed under his breath and quickened his steps until he reached the path that lead to the training room. His eyes fell upon two obviously scared teenagers who were staring at him with a startled look.

"You!" he shouted, pointing at the young light pink haired girl, "Go and find the other two and bring them in here. _Now!_" he said, emphasizing his last word. Mathilda leaned her face down and nodded while she whispered,

"A-a-alright,Sir..." and she quickly left taking the other path back to the hotel. Miguel faced Barthez with an even more frightened look in his blue eyes than before.

"Miguel" Barthez said slowly, facing the young teenager, "Go into the training room"

Miguel nodded as he was ready to walk towards said room but something was aching inside him.

"_Damn those threats!"_ he muttered to himself and froze. His whole body was unable to move because he knew what he had to do and what he had to say. He knew what the others wanted him to do. But he couldn't. He just couldn't.

"Is there a problem, Miguel? Did you forget how to walk?" Barthez's voice was cold and stiff. Miguel held tightly his fists in his hands and his lips were now one thin line. His whole face had darkened.

"_I am not a hero."_ Miguel thought to himself and walked towards the room. The door was opened quickly and it was closed with absolutely no sound. No anger, no fear, no regrets. Then again were there any?

At that particular moment Mathilda came along with Aaron and Claude, all of them looking frightened. Barthez gave them a look of approval and all of them walked in the training room.

**Later at lunchtime**

The members of the Barthez Battalion team were all sitting at a table in the middle of the restaurant at the hotel they were staying in. All of them remained silent, not showing any interest in their food. Expect Aaron, he was the only one who was eating and that because he found relief from stress in food.

Tomorrow,they had a match against the PBA All-Starz, in New York City. In order to make Barthez's plan work out, all they had to do was to cheat so that they could win. Apparently they had to become liars in order to emerge victorious. This made them all feel disgusted and ashamed to be a part of this team. But they all feared Barthez and they couldn't say no.

Claude would battle first. All he had to was to allow a sharp piece from his beyblade to break off and cut him. This would show that the PBA All-Starz are not playing nice. All Barthez wanted was to do was to defame the PBA All-Starz in their home country. Make their own people dislike them. According to the BBA,it is illegal to carry a blade or anything that could hurt your opponent into battle. Nobody would notice that Barthez Battalion would switch beyblades before the match. The control happened at the training room. Experts were coming in to make sure that the beyblades were legal but there was plenty of time to change your beyblade before you reached the beystadium. Barthez had everything planned out. Every single move. And this is how the Barthez Battalion team would gain fame. Barthez wanted to inspire sympathy in his own team by playing dirty. But this was not the first time it had happened. It had happened before in the European Championships against the Majestics.

Miguel held his glass of water tightly within his fist. He was thinking. He was thinking so hard that he was almost sure that his brain would explode. He raised his glass to level with his lips and drank slowly.

"_I refuse to be the one"_ he made his thought final and set his glass down. He just gave quick glances to his teammates before he left the table. Saying nothing, he merely got up and left. Leaving nothing but silence behind him.

"What's up with him?" Aaron said looking concerned at the figure of the blonde boy who was now fading away. Claude did not say anything, hoping that whatever was going through Miguel's head was right. On the other hand, Mathilda sighed and placed her hands on the table.

"I think we should talk to him" the girl said obviously concerned.

"Let him figure out on his own. Whatever will happen,we will stay together as a team"

Claude said sounding unexpectedly confident and reached out to hold the girl's left hand. She turned and looked at him showing how much she cared about how Miguel was feeling but she gave him a smile nonetheless.

What was going inside Claude's head? He was the one who was afraid the most. How could he be so self-assured in front of Mathilda? Maybe, working with Barthez had made it easy for him to find ways to hide his true feelings.

Claude could never hurt Mathilda's feelings. She was delicate. Like a diamond. Beautiful like a swan. Holding the most rare beauty in the world. With his eyes glued to hers,Claude smiled back and held her hand.

"Alright" Mathilda mumbled, somewhat persuaded. She still looked concerned but then again she always looked like that. She let out a sigh of relief and placed her focus on her plate which was still full, even if they were at the restaurant for half an hour. At that moment, Claude let her hand fall free on the table and turned his whole body in order to face her.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked her, noticing how pale she looked.

Mathilda had not slept at all. Last night she had spend most of the time she should be sleeping out at the balcony thinking. Thinking thoughts that were never given closure because she simply felt so sad. This whole fiasco was making her feel sad but she did not want to bother other people with herself even if she hurt so. Claude saw some kind of hesitation in Mathilda's face before she replied

"I'm fine,Claude. I'm not the one you should worry about now" she said, referring to Miguel.

"You're right" he replied, with Barthez in his mind.

"We have to do something" the girl said sounding worried. She did not want Miguel to be alone now. Nor did she want anyone to be alone when they were at the championship.

"This isn't going to end pretty" Claude said thinking about the next match. Only the thought of it made him feel nervous. What if something didn't go as planned? What if he failed? What if he hesitated? Then he would pay. Barthez would make him pay. Claude sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.

"I have to make sure he's alright" her voice trembled when she noticed that the blonde boy was now approaching them with a furious look in his eyes.

"I cannot promise you anything else but I promise we will remain a team, no matter what".

His voice proved that he meant every word he said. The others just looked at him curiously.

After a few glances, they all nodded to each other. For now, everyone was somewhat content.

**xxxxxxx**

Miguel rose from his chair and quickly paced through the hotel, then launched himself outside of it feeling like he could touch freedom. His mind was chaos. Complete chaos. He stood next to the hotel main entrance looking at all the people walking in the street. People laughing, yelling, talking.. why couldn't he laugh? Or yell? Or feel anything at all? His heart was heavy with only a feeling of anxiety hiding underneath. He had learned to hide his feelings perfectly.

"_I refuse to be the one, I refuse to be the one"_ he screamed within his mind and he quickly touched his head with his hands

"_I cannot stand this!" _he thought furiously and started walking back to the hotel but before he reached the staircase, he stopped.

"Just _perfect_" he thought and closed his eyes.

"_I cannot leave, I am in a foreign country. I don't know anywhere to go"_ he closed his fists tightly and felt like his brain was about to explode at any minute. _"And what am I going to say once I'm back? Hello mum and dad, I just decided that Beyblading is not what I was born to do after all. Maybe I should become a director or a... teacher. Or what about a gardener? There is a million other things I can do. A million other things. But nothing will give me the same pleasure as beyblading. I can't give up on my passion that easily. I can't just shut out all of my feelings and forget what I have been doing all of my life. Put Beyblading aside. Because I will always remember how happy I was when I was beyblading. Because nothing will make me feel more alive than beyblading. Nothing. Absolutely nothing and then I will end up as a whiny loser. Not that I am not one already."_ he threw his fist against the wall near the stairs and looked around. Nobody was paying attention to him. Normal teenage behaviour. That's what they would think. The world is so kind.

"_Wonderful. Just wonderful. Simply wonderful. What if I start yelling at Barthez in the middle of the room? Would anyone notice me then? They would. Because people love gossip. But I refuse to __do that."_ He sighed and looked down at the floor. He could start running all around like a fool again. If he knew what he wanted. What did he really want? He opened his eyes and faced the empty yellow wall. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. No,he knew what he had to do but he did not know the way. No, not the way. The way was easy. What about how he would do it? He blinked his eyes and let his hands fall limp.

"_I am the leader. Therefore I must help my team-mates, I should not put them through more trouble. Because if I leave, Barthez will go mad. Insanely mad. And it will be my fault if they don't win. If we don't win. Because we are all in this together. As a team. Whatever decision I have to make,I will ask for their advice first." _Miguel knew that he should trust them and believe in them. Every one of them. The wise Claude who knows when to stop and when to react. The adventurous Aaron who likes to take chances in his life and see where he will end up. And Mathilda, the one who would sacrifice everything for her team. She had already sacrificed her studies, her friends, all of her life. And he would just blow all this away? Just walk out on them? The people who have helped him so much?

He turned his body back to the world who still seemed not to care about him. He smiled, feeling satisfied inside and started pacing back to the restaurant. He had to see them now, make sure that they knew that he would be there for them as much as they are for him.

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**Oi!Review?**


	3. One solid desicion to make

**Disclaimer:** The only thing that I own is the plot.

**Author's Note: **Special thanks to **MarianQ** for BETA reading _:-) _

_And I am in fact still writing my stories. It just takes me a really long time to write them and post them here,okay?_

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"_Sweet dreams",_ Miguel said with some irony to himself when he closed the bathroom door behind him. He was feeling dizzy but at least now he was somewhat certain of what he should do. In a few hours, they would blade against the All Stars and then they would gain the recognition they wanted. Albeit, in an underhand way. The blonde boy sighed and noticed that both Claude and Aaron were sleeping but Mathilda was not in her bed.

"_Where is she this time?"_ Miguel thought and turned to look at the window. She always loved to stay outside looking at the sky before she slept. As he expected, she was there in the balcony gazing up the stars, her mind travelling fast in faraway lands and places. He noticed that the blue curtains were softly dancing in the air. Her hands were embracing her body due to the delicate breeze of the night standing at the edge of the balcony, making her cold. The door was left open and so the boy did not hesitate and decided to approach her. He knew what she was feeling.

"Mathilda?" Miguel asked in a very soft tone and came close to her. She was crying, he could see it clearly now. He did not expect that. He gave her a fake smile nonetheless and waited for her reply. The girl remained silent not turning to look at her teammate or leaving. She just kept looking ahead with her eyes full of tears.

"Mathilda?" Miguel asked her again after a long moment of silence. Miguel sighed unable to understand why she was not responding to him and looked at her intensely. He was well aware of the way she was feeling but he couldn't stop himself for wanting to ease her emotional pain. He was willing to bring that burden upon himself. Would his final decision worry her too much? He felt slightly confused by her attitude. She was never the kind of person to shield herself this way. When the girl continued not saying anything Miguel touched her cheek and said quietly

"I'm here for you. You can trust me with anything."

Mathilda's eyes only watered more but they were also shining in the shades of the night.

"I..." She began whispering in a trembling voice, "I don't know how we came to this. Everything seemed to be so simple at the beginning but now, everything is... black. I can't see ahead anymore."

Mathilda whispered in the night while small silver tears kept on coming down from her eyes.

"I miss freedom"

Miguel looked at her as if she was about to break at any time. The expression on his face was falling slowly as he was considering her words. He felt the sudden need to help her escape the world they were living in. He could not believe what he was hearing. His face had turned into a sad masquerade. The girl did not pay any attention to the change on her friend's face. Miguel kept on wondering. How could she feel like that? Didn't he promise earlier this day that they would stay together through everything? Did she not believe in him? Miguel could feel his hope fading away as he kept looking at her, stroking her cheek in an affectionate way.

The girl turned around to look at him. She was searching for hope, for courage, for anything to hold on to at this very moment. She didn't expect Miguel to find her there and now she had no other choice but to confess all these she was truly feeling. The boy, on the other hand had seen her like that...last night. He just couldn't understand why the girl did not believe him. Didn't he promise earlier that day that they'd stay together as a team no matter what?

She cried silently and Miguel held her tightly in his arms. She looked so fragile and delicate "_she should not have to suffer being treated this way by _him" he thought, "_none of this is worth it!"_ He let out a deep sigh, making sure she felt comfortable in her position. In his mind, millions of thoughts and scenarios were playing.

"You should sleep now," he whispered to her, knowing that that was the best thing to do at that moment.

"Sleep" He repeated and looked down at her. The girl with the light pink hair only nodded in agreement so Miguel led her back to her bed. He was slowly walking, making sure she wouldn't fall or run away from him. He cared about her so much after all. When they reached the bed, he quietly placed her there whispering once again, "I'm not going anywhere until I'm sure you are alright"

Mathilda gave him a weak smile and turned to the other side. After a couple of minutes, Miguel also felt asleep, there next to her on the bed. He was far too tired himself to stay awake any longer.

The next morning came almost too soon. Claude got up from his bed as soon as he heard the alarm clock; he had to make sure that he wouldn't be late for training or the upcoming match. The thought of the match still brought chills upon his spine but he quickly shaken off any negative feelings and stormed to the bathroom.

Aaron found it difficult to get up from his bed. He kept looking to the room with blurry eyes until his gaze fell upon the bed next to his. "_What are they both doing there?"_ he wondered looking at the two figures of his friends. With a raised eyebrow, he shut down the alarm clock, which Claude had left on.

"Rise and shine everyone" Claude sung coming from the bathroom.

"What the hell is up with you?" Miguel asked turning to look at him with a frown in his face.

"I decided to be the 'happy' person in the group today," The blue haired boy continued.

"Okay" The blonde decided not to question any further and got up from the bed heading to the bathroom.

Mathilda turned around to look at her teammates and tried to understand why everyone was so jolly this morning. She didn't say anything, she just stared at them. Miguel stood in the middle of the room and cleared his voice before he spoke.

"We seriously need to figure out what we will do now"

"What are you talking about?" Claude answered pretending he didn't actually know what the other boy was talking about.

"Barthez. That's what I'm talking about" The blonde pressed on glaring at him.

"What about Barthez?" Aaron asked.

"Don't you also believe that we shouldn't do whatever he says?" Mathilda told him sounding very severe.

"Well..." Aaron trembled not finding the right words to say.

"He needs to leave" Miguel spoke, overshadowing anyone else.

After many eyes darting back and forth, Claude was the first to speak.

"How will we do that? We can't simply fire him. He brought us here. He pays for all our expenses. He trained us. And he is not the kind of person that you can just talk to."

The dark boy gulped remembering all these times that they were training with Barthez.

"He can't simply make him leave," he said looking at the floor.

"He can't stand him anymore either" Mathilda spoke quietly looking at her teammates.

"Have you seen how the other teams are fighting? We will never have the passion they have, we will never share the friendship that they do, we will never feel good and proud of ourselves if we continue like this" Miguel raised his voice outraged with the whole situation.

"He won't let us go" Claude replied glaring at the blonde boy. How could Barthez just leave them there if they tell him to leave? How could he just go without protesting or beating them up? He was paying for them. What would they do with no money in their hands? All of their families lived far away. They needed to cross a whole ocean to see them. What would they do? How could they survive?

Claude was partially right and the leader of the team knew that but he couldn't stand being bossed around anymore.

"We will figure it out" he began slowly "the BBA will help us"

"Nobody can help us from him! No matter what we do, he's going to find us some day," Claude pressed on and on.

"Snap out of it!" Miguel shouted.

"If we don't have at least some _hope,_ we will never do anything in our lives!"

Claude only sighed still glaring but now at the window outside.

"_Fine_," he finally hissed.

"I just want to know if you are with me on this"

Miguel announced looking at each one of them.

"Because no matter what I'm not gonna stay here for any longer especially being treated this way by _him_"

"I'm with you" Mathilda replied approaching him.

At this moment, Claude felt some kind of jealousy boiling inside of him when he looked at his other two teammates together.

"I have no choice but to agree" he said and walked out of the room. There was a new feeling, which kept battling inside him every time he looked at her, but what was it? He slowly closed the door behind him and walked in the hotel hall, his hands in his pockets.

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**Oh,the lovely sentence which demans reviews.**


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